Festive Cupcake or muffin Case guest post for Trotec lasers

This tutorial shows you how to laser engrave and cut a muffin or cupcake case created from TroLase Thins.

Follow our simple tutorial, which also has the option to change the size of the graphic or use different material colours. The finished product can be also used for cupcakes or as a festive decoration around a candle in a glass.​

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Required material

TroLase Thins Port Wine / Gold (0.5mm thick)

Trotec laser used: 

Speedy 300, 80 watts, 2.0 inch lens

Step 1: Design

Create the graphic in a graphics program or import our template. The parcels are defined as engraving areas by the black fill, snow crystals and border lines must be defined as cutting lines (width: hairline; R: 255; G: 0 B: 0). Additionally, you can add text at the bottom of the graphic for a personal touch. 

Step 2: Bend graphic

To bend the strip later to a muffin case, bend the graphics in Adobe Illustrator with the warping tool or in Corel Draw with the tool 'Envelope' (menu: Effects > Envelope > Simple arc > putty). Hold Ctrl and then drag the lines to the desired arc.​

Step 3: Settings

We worked on a Speedy 300 (80 Watss power) with the following parameters:

Cutting: power: 300% - speed: 1.5% - frequency: 1000 Hz- air assist: ON 

Engraving: power: 70% - speed: 80% - frequency: 500 ppi - air assist: ON - Z-Offset: 1mm - high quality: ON 

In the menu plate setup, choose start position bottom. Remove protection foil from the laminate and check the vacuum. Focus the laser and off you go!  

Tips & Tricks

§             ​Consider the cutting sequence: The cutting lines are considered bottom up in the production process. Therefore, place the outline at the top position in Corel Draw Object Manager.

§             For an increased vacuum cover unused parts of the table with paper.

§             Select the engraving start position as 'bottom'. This prevents deposits from setting on engraved areas which could discolour the product.

§             First clean with a damp cloth then dry, preferably still in the machine.

§             If colour residues are present, check the parameters, focus and check the rest of the laminate on the table.​​

For more guidelines and pdf files please visit : http://www.troteclaser.com/en-US/Laser-Samples/Promotional-Items/Pages/cupcake-case.aspx

Translating laser cut concepts into silver

Last month I had the opportunity to attend a workshop at Atelier Rudee in Bangkok, Thailand. 

It was a very interesting experience, I was trying a new technique making models from wax and later on casting them into silver. Since I already had sketches from my Thailand-Cambodia trip I was translating my concepts by using a cutter for the wax sheets , thinking about geometry, layering and construction. 

I really like the way that you create something from such a fragile and sensitive material as wax, and later on it just melts guiding the warm silver to fill all of the contours. I was very surprised by the accuracy of this method, miniature details made on the wax pieces are present once the designs are casted in silver. You can even notice your fingerprints in some parts.

In the end I got two rings casted into silver. Hope you enjoy my concepts and designs. 

Jack-o-Lantern for Halloween guest post for Trotec Lasers

Create a unique Jack-o-Lantern for Halloween

​​​​​​​​​Nothing signifies Halloween like a glowing Jack o'Lantern with a unique pattern. In this tutorial we show you how to create a unique Halloween pumpkin using a laser.

 

Required material  

- pumpkin

- pumpkin carving kit or sharp knife and  large spoon or ice cream scoop

- duck tape 

- tooth brush

- a candle or LED lights

Trotec Laser Used:

Speedy 400, 80 watts, 2-inch lens

Step 1: Find a perfect pumpkin

Buy a pumpkin from your local supermarket or from a farm shop. Try to find one that's a good size with little visible damage/marks. The perfect pumpkin has a smooth surface and a uniform coloring.

Step 2: Place the pumpkin in the laser

Put the pumpkin in the laser and position it with some tape, if necessary.

Open our template or design your own pattern, and then send the file to the laser.
(http://www.troteclaser.com/en-US/Laser-Samples/Promotional-Items/Pages/halloween-pumpkin-laser-engraved.aspx) 

​Parameters used:
Engraving: Power: 100% - Speed: 25% - Frequency: AUTO - Air Assist: ON - Passes: 2

For a perfect engraving result, we've activated the "High Quality" option.

	Step 3: Wash it After processing it with the laser, it is necessary to clean the pumpkin with lukewarm water and a toothbrush.
	Step 4: Prepare tools Take a sharp knife and a spoon. You will also need 2 bowls - one for the seeds and the other one for pumpkin pulp.
	Step 5: Hollowing Cut out the lid at the top of the pumpkin and take all the seeds and the pumpkin strings.You can use a spoon, but it is easier just using your hands. After that  use a spoon to clean out the inside of the pumpkin. Scrape away the walls and put the pumpkin pulp into the second bowl.
	Step 6: Let it glow Wipe the inside of the pumpkin down with a kitchen sponge. Place a candle or a LED-light inside the pumpkin and close the lid. Now your Jack o' Lantern​ is ready for Halloween! Happy Halloween!

Tips and Tricks:

Sprinkle some cinnamon on the underside of the lid. Some people claim this makes the pumpkin last longer.

Hollowing out the pumpkin can be quite exhausting. An ice cream scoop can make your job easier.​

Don't throw the pumpkin pulp away - keep it and cook a delicious soup​.

Design .pdf and Job control guidelines can be found at : http://www.troteclaser.com/en-US/Laser-Samples/Promotional-Items/Pages/halloween-pumpkin-laser-engraved.aspx

Story 7 : Fitting all parts together to get the final model

It has been a while since we posted the sequence story of the church model we have been working on.

Please find more pictures from the sequence story No.7 where you can see how the whole envelope of the church is coming together with the external, internal walls and the roof structure is "waiting" for the final touch.

Create a board game with your laser guest post for Trotec Lasers

• for more information please visit : http://www.troteclaser.com/en-US/Laser-Samples/Promotional-Items/Pages/board-game.aspx

  http://www.troteclaser.com/en-US/Pages/Laser_systems.aspx

• 
• Required Material

  board:

  50 x 50 cm TroLase walnut/white1.6mm

  Acrylic(red, blue, yellow, green) 0.8mm -  adhesive tape on back side

  ​figures:

  Acrylic (red, blue, yellow, green) 3.2mm

  stickers:

  TroLase lights gold/black 0.1mm

  
  Used Trotec Laser:
  Speedy 360, 80 watts, 2 inch lens
  
  Tip: white acrylic grating

Step 1: board

First decide what size board you would like. We are using 50x50 cm pre-cut acrylic for our extra-large board game. Adapt the design as you wish and send the file to the laser.

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• Tip: For the best results and less cleaning effort, the board should be engraved from bottom to top. You can easily change the engraving direction. Open "plate" and click on "plate setup."
• 
  
  
• Step 2: colorful dots for the starting area
  Cut five circles per color from 0.8mm acrylic to indicate the players areas.

  For best results, we recommend using the white acrylic-cutting-grid, leaving the protective foil on the material during the cutting process on the material.

  
  

  You can order the acrylic with an adhesive film on the back and then you just have to put the circles on the appropriate places. Make sure the board is clean before you apply them.
• 
  
  

• Step 3: figures

  Now you need the red, blue, yellow and green acrylic (3.2 mm) for the figures. Cut out  the characters and the matching discs (standing feet) per color and plug them together.

  Again, it is important to leave the protective foil on the material during the cutting process for a brilliant cutting edge.
• 
• 
  

  Step 4: decoration

  
  
  

  We used some stickers to make the game board look less empty and more fun.

  We engraved TroLase Lights and used our Kiss Cut parameters to "cut-in" the material. Only the adhesive film is cut and the support material remains unblemished. Then the sticker can be removed easily.

  It is important to also engrave the stickers from the bottom to the top (see step1).
• 
  

  used laser parameters 

• 
  

  We worked with a Speedy 360 80 watts power and the parameters listed bellow. You can download the JobControl files and import them easily into your parameters database ( see download link bellow ) . 
• Board - TroLase 1,6 mm 
• Engraving : power: 80% - speed: 100% - frequency: 500 ppi-air assist: ON 
• Z- Offset: 1.5 mm
• For best engraving results, we've activated the "high quality" function and set 1.5 mm Z- Offset. 
• 
  
• Dots - Acrylic 0,8 mm 
• Cutting: power: 33% - speed: 1.2 % - frequency: 1.000 Hz - air assist: ON 
• Figures - Acrylic 3,2 mm 
• Cutting power: 45% - speed 0.4% - frequency: 1.000 Hz - air assist: ON
• Z-Offset: 0,6 mm
• Here we also worked with 0.6mm Z-Offset for a smoother engraving. 
• Sticker - TroLase Lights 0,1 mmthicker - troLase Lights 0,1 mm 
• Engraving : power: 35% - speed:50% - frequency: 500 ppi - air assist: ON 
• Z- Offset : 2 mm 
• Cutting : power: 20% - speed: 2% - frequency: 1.000 Hz - air assist: ON 

KissCut: power: 8% - speed: 2% - frequency: 1.000 Hz - air assist: ON 

We also recomend that you activate the "high quality" function. The laser process takes more time, but the perfect result is worth it. 

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• • 
    

  • for more information and vector files for board game download visit : 

  •  http://www.troteclaser.com/en-US/Laser-Samples/Promotional-Items/Pages/board-game.aspx
  • 
    

FabCafe Bangkok

There is something really special about Fabcafes and Fablaboratories.

I always like the nice atmosphere and interior design in which you have enough space to get inspired and make your ideas tangible. 

While exploring Bangkok I got familiar with FabCafe Bangkok. They are located in Ari neighbourhood just a few minutes from the BTS station. They have great facilities, courses and selection of food and coffee. One can indeed spend their whole day there, researching, exploring and creating fab ideas.

 

For more information 

Link to their website : http://fabcafe.com/bangkok/

Link to their facebook page : https://www.facebook.com/fabcafebangkok

Story 6: Fitting and fixing the walls in the physical model

Laser Cut Tree Bookshelf by Kristina J guest post for Trotec Lasers

via: http://www.instructables.com/id/Laser-Cut-Tree-Bookshelf/

Inspiration for laser projects can strike anywhere. It hit me when looking over the exceptionally creative DIY site, theDesignConfidential.com, where I came across this tree bookshelf. In the tutorial, they used a paper stencil and jig saw. I knew that this was definitely a project that could not only be done with a laser, but improved. With the author, Rayan Turner’s permission, I took the original plans and turned it into this great laser project, perfect for a child’s room, a school, or a whimsical library.

Step 1: Materials 

17 sheets of ½” plywood, cut into 4’ x 2’ sections. Try to choose the flattest pieces possible.

Wood glue

Finishing nails

Clamps

Large format laser cutter, we used a Trotec SP500 laser with 200 watts of power

Step 2: Design

The tree is cut into thirds to fit the sheets of wood. In order to make it more stable when being glued together, there are 2 sets of drawings – each with the cut shifted 1 inch. The final tree is approximately 6 feet tall and 4 feet wide. If you would like to change the size of the tree to fit your space, make sure that you scale each drawing appropriately.

find vector files prepared for laser cutting on the following link : http://www.instructables.com/id/Laser-Cut-Tree-Bookshelf/ 

Step 3: Laser ! 

We cut the sheets of plywood on a SP500, 200 watt laser. This laser will accommodate materials up to 49” wide and 28” tall. Depending on how warped your sheets of wood are, you may need to tape down the edges to get the best cut. Also, due to the thickness of the wood, you’ll want to focus the laser “into” the wood a little bit. You can do this by setting the Z-Offset. This will help ensure that the cut is straight, and not at an angle.

Laser settings
Trotec SP500, 200 watt laser cut settings
Power: 100%, Speed: 0.6%, Hz: 5000, Z-Offset: -.10”, Correction: 25

Cut four each of the different Top and Middle sections, and cut one of the Bottom section (it has all 8 trunks on the same board).